which is better, Polk or Bose speakers?

[RanDum72]

Within the range of $100-400 a pair?

 

[Huma]

in that price range, I'd take a look at a set of paradigm speakers.

Definitely better value than bose.

 

[ShadowFox]

does bose make PC speakers that cheap???

 

[sohcrates]

<< Within the range of $100-400 a pair? >>



we talking home or computer here?

 

[jeffrey]

Are you looking for satellite-subwoofer, floorstanding, bookshelf or what?? What are you going to be listening to, and how are they going to be powered?

 

[damocles]

If you are talking about two comparable setups- then you have to listen yourself. Only your ears know which of the 2 you would prefer

 

[jteef]

Also, try to listen to the B&W DM 601/602 S2. One of the better newbie mid-hifi buys out there since they can work really well as surrounds if you decide to get nicer main speakers. bose and polk are not worth their cost imo.

www.audioreview.com

jt

 

[Midnight Rambler]

<< bose and polk are not worth their cost imo. >>

Agree about Bose, but Polk makes some decent speakers in the mid to upper price ranges of their product line. For a basic system in our rec room, I'm using an old pair of Polk Model 10B's that still sound great after over 20 yrs. of hard use/abuse.

Speakers definitely fall in to the "garbage in/garbage out" category, so don't be quick to blame them if you have a crap amp, preamp, etc. For mid range price, Carver makes some real decent stuff.

 

[RanDum72]

I'm talking about bookshelf speakers (unless there are floor standind ones for the price). The reason I'm asking is that my local
Circuit City has a sale going on some speakers. I was thinking of grabbing a pair for the study room so more input is appreciated.

 

[Huggies]

Forget the Polk and the Bose and get the Logitech Z560s you can't beat the price or the power output, the sub is 188 watts RMS and the 4 satellites are 53 watts RMS each and its THX certified and you can grab these bad boys for $115 deliverd from dell.com still, it involves a coupon code etc but you can find details in the hot deals forum...

 

[ElFenix]

hes not talking about computer speaks people. that should be obvious simply because of the brands hes asking about (there really should be audio and car forums here).

i'd say polk, because bose is always overpriced for what you get. bose would be great stuff if it was about 1/2 to 1/4 the price. (so would monster cable, btw). polk is probably overpriced, but no where near as much as bose is. the only brand anywhere near as overpriced as bose is sony (and monster, of course).

 

[thebestMAX]

POLK.
If you want anything that sounds even vaguely real, stay away from the BOSE.

I own a complete Polk 5.1 speaker setup (bought separately, not as one of their packages) and I am very pleased.

Good people to deal with also. They repaired a subwoofer for me FREE out of warranty and not even manufactured by them but from a company that they bought!

 

[Gunbuster]

For a little more you can get a pair of JBL S38's

Dig up a Best buy 10% and get them for around $430

 

[jose]

Actually anything is better than Bose.

Find a Paradigm dealer & audition a pair in your price range. It's a day & night difference
between Paradigm & bose.

Regards,
Jose

 

[Oyeve]

I agree with Jose. Bose Blose (get it? "Blose" = Blows?)....hmmm....anyway. Infinity makes some decent cheap stuff, as does JBL and several others. Check out Crutchfield to get a good look at speakers than shop elsewhere as you may get it cheaper.

 

[KpocAlypse]

Got no highs, Got no lows....Must be a Bose!

Kidding aside, between polk and Bose, i'd pick polk. (if your sticking to Circuit City's inventory)

My current setup is all polk, CS400 center, Fx500 surrounds, RT600 fronts( soon to be RT1000) and a PSW-1200 sub. These bad doys i any currently VERY happy with, especially the sub and surrounds.


For bookshelf speakers the Polk RT55, RT35 and Infinity IL10 can't be beat at CC, but those might be pricy.

 

[kindlr]

Bose only really shines when you want a lot of sound from a little space. My dad has a set of the 8x4" speakers with a sub and they're really impressive. Once I get my Z560's set up I'll tell you what I can hear over the other (with some semblence of tonal accuracy of course).

 

[Yoshi]

Between those two choices, Polk without a doubt! I own a full set of Polk RTE series speakers for my home theater/PC/PS2 and they are a great value for the money. If you are shopping at Circuit City I would also give a pair of Infinities a listen.

 

[RanDum72]

I listened to some Bose 301's and they sound pretty good, nice, fast bass and good soundstage. A similarly priced pair of Polk RT35's (?) sounded
just as good, with a little better extended high-end due to the dome tweeters. But I noticed that the Bose tweeters, even though they are cone-type,
sounded faster, meaning there's not a lot of 'echo' effect. In a quick blind test ( I just closed my eyes), I had the guy cycle thru pairs of Polk, JBL, Infinity,
and Bose speakers. All sounded equally good and surprisngly, I choose the 301's as the best sounding, followed closely by the Polk and Infinity. I thought JBL
was too bright and the midrange was too neutral ( kinda recessed). But I'll probably get the Polks since they will match with my Polk PCS245i
center channel I bought from my neighbor for $70. Also, the Polk R10's are for sale for only $39 so a couple for the rears shouldn't hurt either.

 

[AEboy128]

You do know that there's ALMOST no way for computer speakers to be 53 watts RMS each right?? also, that sub is no where near 188watts RMS. You know those AC adaptors that plug into the wall?? Explain to me how you get 53 watts or 188 watts from 6 or 7 watts.

 

[Sugadaddy]

If you have 400$ for a pair of speakers, do yourself a favor and forget Circuit City. Go to an audio store and try out a pair of Paradigm, Energy, Klipsch, Definitive Technology, etc...


But to answer your question, Polk is better than Bose for the price, but I wouldn't get either.

 

[ShadowFox]

Why do you guys say bose is so horible? i have one of the $2000 lifestyle home systems, and it sounds great

 

[jteef]

Explain to me how you can only get 6 or 7 watts from a plug? Is the transformer for the Z560 even on the plug ? 500-600 VA i will agree is very impractical on a wall plug. Since the set weighs so much i'd think they would have an EI core or toroid in the subwoofer enclosure. You can get many kVA from one of these devices.

I doubt that they've got a transformer as big as 5-600 VA for such a low price, but stuff like that gets very cheap when you buy in mass quantities, or produce it yourself.

jt

 

[Villareal]

If you're buying from Circuit city, get Polk or Infinity.

 

[NOS440]

I'll have to agree with Sugadaddy on this one. Try the other brands that he listed. I'm partial to Klipsch myself I have the Promedia 5.1s on my PC and a full Synergy series in my Livingroom SF-2 mains, SC-1 Center, SS-1 suurounds and a KSW-15 Sub. The sound in music and movies in nothing short of amazing. If you just want 2 speakers keep your eyes on Ubid.com there a Klipsch dealer and often have great deals on the SP-1 which is a powered 3 way speaker that I haer really rocks. They have some there now and usually they go for arround $400 plus shipping most local dealers will hit you for a grand for those puppies.